UKC

Has anyone used the "masselottes anti-vibration flanges" (aka pick-weights!) on the latest quarks? Going water ice climbing in February and have read that with the axe and hammer removed and pick-weights added the performance of the axes on WI will be much improved? All advice welcome! Thanks in advance

In reply to MrRiley:
Climbing water ice last year I preferred my flys-with-handrests to his out of the box new version Quarks. They just felt poorly balanced and like they could do with some more weight on the head. YMMV, but several other people I was with found the same.

In reply to MrRiley: The quarks are a totally different tool with the pick weights on, way better on ice, well worth it.

In reply to Anonymous:

You must be mad.

The pick weights do however improve the feel of the tools a bit but really only if you're swinging (which I don't see why you would really at normal venues)

In reply to MrRiley: i have them on my nomics. They make for good penetration with as little as a wrist flick. For you, it would depend really on how powerful your swing is. If you have a good strong swing they might be fine without, but with you'd use less energy. All up to what suits you. If you can i'd visit an indoor ice wall and try them. couple of swings and you'll know

In reply to Hannes:

Flies are excellent ice tools so I don't doubt his faith in them. Very under-rated. I've no experience of the new Quarks but the old ones were impressive.

In reply to MrRiley:

I climbed water ice for 5 days last week with new Quarks. Petzl hammers on both of them, standard Ice picks (T-rated) and no weights. They felt great and it wasn't hard to get good placements even on reasonably hard ice.

I tried my guide's (old) Nomics with pick weights for a pitch and actually preferred my Quarks, but I may just have not had enough time to get used to them. The balance was way different (obviously). I'm tempted to try weights on the Quarks, though, and see what happens. Expensive mistake if I hate it though!

In reply to All: Ok great stuff, thanks all for your advice! I think I'll take the plunge, so to speak, and go for a pair. Anything that will result in expending less energy on each placement is worth it I reckon! Cheers

In reply to MrRiley:

Admittedly with nomics:

I have a hammer on one, weights on both, and found the hammer-minus-weight set up much less effective.
The hammer + weight and weight-only tools work quite differently.
Id lose the hammer if i didnt use it so much.

In reply to MrRiley:

It is a Nomic head. No hammer or adze and adding the pick weights work well in most any water ice condition.